(MHRP)

MAROON ARCHAEOLOGY IN A NEW WORLD CONTEXT

The
earliest efforts in archaeological studies in the Caribbean and adjoining areas gave no attention to Maroon sites and heritage. Much of the evidence, mainly for the prehistoric period, was derived from surface, sub-surface artifacts and structures, architectural details, physical layout and historical documents, but referred mainly to the prehistoric period, neglecting Maroon heritage, a major thread that establishes a link between prehistoric Amerindian and later cultural traditions and groups. Consequently, a big gap has been created not only in the heritage of those countries but of the Caribbean and indeed the New World. It is against this background that the program on Maroon Archaeology was initiated following the establishment of a teaching and research program in Archaeology at the University of the West Indies, Jamaica in October 1987. The research project was initially dubbed UWI Mona Archaeological Research Project (UMARP) and later Maroon Heritage Research Project (MHRP) (Agorsah 1991, 1992). In addition to several reports, an edited volume with contributions from various symposia and seminar participants including Maroon chiefs and elders, was published in 1994 (Agorsah 1994), and numerous articles explored major and significant strands of research.>>>